Vehicle body side sliding door step reinforcement structure and vehicle

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of automobile step-on structure, and discloses a vehicle body side sliding door step-on structure and a vehicle, wherein the upper step-on body is welded outside the sliding door threshold, the upper step-on body and a lower hinge roller load-bearing sliding support plate are spot-welded to form a guide rail box, the outside of the guide rail box is kept empty to form a cavity with a rectangular inner space, the bottom surface of the upper step-on body in the cavity is fixed with a lower hinge roller guide rail, the front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail is a bending section towards the vehicle interior, the front end of the upper step-on body is provided with an arc-shaped section corresponding to the bending section towards the vehicle interior, so as to reduce the Y-direction suspension, the arc-shaped section is formed in the shape of the bending section towards the vehicle interior, the upper surface of the upper step-on body is upwardly protruded to form a reinforcing rib structure, the structure strength of the upper step-on body is improved as a whole through the improvement of the upper step-on body structure, the reinforcing rib is Z-direction reinforcing rib, the height of the upper step-on body flanging edge is increased, and the step-on body treading rigidity is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive entry step structure technology, and in particular to a reinforced structure for the entry step of a sliding side door and an automobile. Background Technology

[0002] In the market, the sliding door hinges and guide rails of VAN vehicles typically employ three rows of parallel guide rails (upper, middle, and lower) to support and guide the sliding door. There are generally two modes for bearing the weight of the sliding door: First, the upper and middle guide rails bear and guide the weight in the Z-direction, while the lower guide rail only provides guidance; second, the middle and lower guide rails bear and guide the weight in the Z-direction, while the upper guide rail only provides guidance. When the sliding door hinges and guide rails use the middle and lower guide rails for Z-direction support and guidance, most vehicles on the market design the entry step with a straight edge from X to X. Since the guide rail shape consists of three segments from +X to -X (a straight X-direction segment + a segment curving inwards + a straight segment angled inwards), the -Y-direction overhang of the entry step gradually increases from the rear to the front (+X to -X), reaching its maximum overhang at the -X end, which is often the area most frequently used for stepping on the door. This results in a large gap between the front Y-axis cantilever of the step body, which can easily lead to problems such as soft pedal material and collapse and deformation of the guide rail. To solve this problem, current models on the market use a solution of adding parts and materials to thicken the support, but the structure is more complex, the cost is higher, and the weight of the whole vehicle is increased. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this invention is to provide a reinforced structure for the sliding door step and the vehicle itself, which improves the overall structural strength of the step and solves the problems of soft flooring and guide rail collapse and deformation.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0005] In a first aspect, a reinforcing structure for the entry step of a sliding door on a vehicle body includes a sliding door sill, an entry step body welded to the outside of the sliding door sill, and an entry step body spot-welded to a lower hinge roller load-bearing sliding support plate to form a guide rail box. The outer side of the guide rail box is open to form a rectangular hollow cavity. The bottom surface of the entry step body in the cavity is fixed with a lower hinge roller guide rail. The front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail is a section that bends inward toward the vehicle. The front end of the entry step body is set as an arc-shaped section corresponding to the position of the section that bends inward toward the vehicle to reduce the Y-direction suspension. The arc-shaped section follows the shape of the section that bends inward toward the vehicle. The upper surface of the entry step body protrudes upward to form a reinforcing rib structure.

[0006] As a further implementation, the lower hinge roller guide rail includes a continuous straight section, a curved section towards the inside of the vehicle, and an angled straight section towards the inside of the vehicle from back to front; the curved section towards the inside of the vehicle and the angled straight section towards the inside of the vehicle are located at the front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail.

[0007] As a further implementation, the arc-shaped segment at the front end of the vehicle step body is positioned above the inward-curving segment and the inward-angled straight segment.

[0008] As a further implementation, the front and rear ends of the guide rail box are spot-welded to the front floor, rear crossbeam, and rear floor assembly, respectively.

[0009] As a further implementation, the reinforcing rib structure is provided along the outer edge of the upper vehicle step body.

[0010] As a further implementation, the outer edge of the upper step body is provided with a downward flange, and the flange is integrally formed with the outer edge of the reinforcing rib.

[0011] As a further implementation, a lifting plate is also included, one end of which is connected to the rear crossbeam of the front floor, and the other end is connected to the front end of the arc-shaped segment.

[0012] As a further implementation, the lifting plate is arranged in a Z-shape, with the top end fixedly connected to the flange of the front floor and rear crossbeam by a fastener, and the bottom end connected to the fixing hole of the front section of the arc segment by a fastener.

[0013] As a further implementation, a guide rail mounting reinforcement plate is provided between the arc-shaped segment and the lifting plate.

[0014] Secondly, an automobile is provided with a vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure as described in any of the above.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0016] The front end of the upper step body of this invention is set as an arc-shaped section corresponding to the bending section of the guide rail towards the inside of the vehicle, which can reduce the amount of suspension in the Y direction. The upper surface of the upper step body is raised upward to form a reinforcing rib structure, which improves the overall structural strength of the upper step body and solves the problems of soft skin underfoot and guide rail collapse and deformation. The reinforcing ribs in the Z direction indirectly increase the height of the outer flange of the upper step body, further improving the step body's rigidity underfoot.

[0017] The invention features an arc-shaped section at the front end of the vehicle step body, which not only reduces the Y-axis overhang at the front end of the vehicle step body and improves structural rigidity, but also avoids the operating space in this area, solving many problems such as welding, painting, and final assembly processes. It increases the welding space between the B-pillar and the middle floor side beam assembly, solving the problem of inaccessibility of the welding torch; the increased space solves the problem of inaccessibility of coating and applying adhesive to the inner cavity of the slide rail box, and also improves the ease of operation when assembling the guide rail steel strip.

[0018] The lift-up plate structure connects the boarding step to the rear crossbeam of the front floor. By setting up the lift-up plate, it can pull the boarding step upwards when a passenger steps onto the vehicle. The upward-pulling lift-up plate structure also provides a new path for the force transmission and distribution in a B-pillar side impact, improving the B-pillar side impact stiffness. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the reinforced structure of the sliding door step on the vehicle body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a front view of the vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the existing boarding step body;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vehicle step body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle step body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the reinforced structure of the sliding door step on the vehicle body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] The diagram exaggerates the spacing or dimensions between parts to show their positions; the diagram is for illustrative purposes only.

[0028] The components include: 1. Floor panel; 2. Sliding door sill; 3. Entry step body; 4. Lower hinge roller guide rail; 5. Lower hinge roller load-bearing sliding support plate; 6. Middle floor side beam inner plate; 7. Sill outer plate; 8. Lifting plate; 9. Guide rail mounting reinforcement plate; 10. Front floor rear crossbeam; 31. Reinforcing rib; 32. Flanged edge; 81. Fasteners. Detailed Implementation

[0029] It should be noted that the following detailed description is illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] In a typical embodiment of the present invention, reference is made to Figure 1 As shown, a reinforced structure for the entry step of a vehicle side sliding door includes a floor panel 1, a sliding door sill 2, an entry step body 3, a lower hinge roller guide rail 4, a lower hinge roller load-bearing sliding support plate 5, an inner plate of the middle floor side beam 6, and an outer sill plate 7.

[0032] The floor panel 1 and the sliding door sill 2 are existing technologies. The sliding door sill 2 is set lower than the floor panel 1, forming a step structure between them. The inner side of the boarding step body 3 is turned down in the Y direction (inside the vehicle), and is welded and fixed to the outer side of the sliding door sill 2 through the inner turn.

[0033] The sliding door opens and closes by rotating the hinge and allowing the rollers to slide back and forth on the lower hinge roller guide rail 4. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the shape of the lower hinge roller guide rail 4 consists of three segments: a continuous straight section from +X direction to -X direction (from back to front), a curved section towards the inside of the vehicle, and an angled straight section towards the inside of the vehicle.

[0034] The connection principle of the guide rail: the lower hinge roller guide rail 4 is spot welded to the bottom surface of the upper step body 3, and then the bottom inner side of the upper step body 3 is spot welded to the top inner side of the lower hinge roller load-bearing sliding support plate 5 to form a guide rail box.

[0035] The guide rail box is spot-welded to the vehicle frame by the sliding door sill 2 and the inner plate 6 of the middle floor side beam. The outer side of the inner plate 6 of the middle floor side beam is connected to the outer plate 7 of the sill. The front and rear ends (X direction) of the guide rail box are spot-welded to the rear crossbeam 10 of the front floor and the rear floor assembly, respectively. The whole structure forms a rectangular hollow cavity about 1.5 meters long with 5 closed sides and 1 open side. The bottom surface of the upper step body in the cavity is fixed with the lower hinge roller guide rail 4.

[0036] The background technology mentions that the -Y direction suspension of the boarding step body 3 gradually increases from the rear to the front of the vehicle (+X direction to -X direction), until it reaches its maximum suspension at the -X direction end, which is often the area where passengers step on the step most frequently. When passengers step on the front end of the upper surface of this "rectangular hollow cavity", it can easily lead to problems such as soft skin and collapse and deformation of the guide rail.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, in the prior art, the curved section and the angled straight section are located at the front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail 4.

[0038] To address the issues of soft leather and guide rail collapse and deformation, this embodiment improves the structure of the upper step body 3 and adds a reinforcing structure to further enhance its strength.

[0039] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the front end of the step body is designed as an arc-shaped section corresponding to the inward curve, and the arc-shaped section follows the shape of the inward curve. The outer edge of the arc-shaped section is designed to curve inward towards the inside of the vehicle. The arc-shaped section at the front end of the step body is positioned above both the inward curve and the angled straight section inward. Figure 3 The existing step body has been modified to reduce the Y-axis overhang at the front section, making it less prone to issues such as soft footing and guide rail collapse and deformation, thus ensuring the structural strength of the step body.

[0040] In this embodiment, the outer edge design of the upper step 3Y direction is changed from straight edges at the front and rear to a curved design that conforms to the lower guide rail. While meeting functional requirements, this reduces the Y-direction overhang of the upper step body 3 (at the -X direction end). At the same time, this structure reduces the difficulty of welding, painting, and gluing processes.

[0041] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the upper surface of the upper step body 3 protrudes upward to form a reinforcing rib 31 structure. The reinforcing rib 31 structure is set along the outer edge of the upper step body, so the reinforcing rib consists of an arc-shaped section at the front and a straight section at the rear.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, a flange 32 is provided on the outer edge of the upper step body 3, and the flange 32 is integrally formed with the outer edge of the reinforcing rib 31. The flange 32 on the outer side of the upper step body 3 is perpendicular to the reinforcing rib 31.

[0043] By adding Z-direction ribs at the outer edge of the step body 3 and extending X-direction through the step body, the step stiffness of the step body 3 is further improved.

[0044] like Figure 5 As shown, the height of the reinforcing rib 31 is 10mm and the width is 30mm. It is understood that in the prior art, the outer side of the upper step body also has a flange, typically around 3mm. In this embodiment, by creating a Z-direction rib at the outer edge of the upper step body, the vertical extension height of the flange changes from 3mm to 13mm while maintaining the same bottom height. The reinforcing rib in this example improves the structural strength of the upper step body 3 and directly increases the vertical dimension of the flange 32, further enhancing the structural strength of the upper step body 3. The increased strength of the flange 32 also improves the bending resistance of the upper step body 3.

[0045] Since the front end of the step body 3 is a frequently stepped area, in addition to the arc-shaped design and reinforcing ribs at the front end of the step body 3, a lifting plate 8 is installed at this location to further improve the structural rigidity of the front end of the step body 3, so as to lift the front end of the step body 3.

[0046] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, one end of the lifting plate 8 is connected to the rear crossbeam 10 of the front floor, and the other end is connected to the front section of the arc-shaped segment of the upper step body 3.

[0047] The lifting plate 8 is Z-shaped and vertically arranged, including a set of vertical plates and flat plates vertically connected to the upper and lower ends of the vertical plates. The flat plates have through holes. A flange is provided at the lower rear end of the rear side of the front floor and rear crossbeam 10. The top of the lifting plate 8 is fixedly connected to the flange of the front floor and rear crossbeam 10 via a set of flat plates and fasteners 81. The bottom of the lifting plate 8 is fixedly connected to the top surface of the front end of the curved section via another set of flat plates and fasteners. A corresponding fixing hole (through hole) is required at the front end of the curved section. The fasteners 81 are bolt and nut assemblies.

[0048] A guide rail mounting reinforcement plate 9 is provided between the arc segment and the lifting plate 8. The guide rail mounting reinforcement plate 9 is existing technology. Its purpose is to fix the front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail 4 and spot weld it to the front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail 4. When the lifting plate 8 is connected to the arc segment through the fastener 81, the bolts need to pass through the through holes on the guide rail mounting reinforcement plate 9.

[0049] By incorporating a lifting plate 8, when a passenger steps onto the boarding step 3, the lifting plate 8 can pull the boarding step 3 upwards. The upward-pulling lifting plate 8 structure connects the boarding step body to the rear crossbeam of the front floor, and also provides a new path for the force transmission and decomposition of the B-pillar side impact, thereby improving the stiffness of the B-pillar side impact.

[0050] This embodiment addresses the weakest point of the upper step body 3 where footing is weak. An arc-shaped section is incorporated at the front end of the upper step body 3, moving in tandem with the front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail. This reduces the Y-axis overhang at the front end of the upper step body 3, minimizing the risk of soft footing and guide rail sagging. Simultaneously, reinforcing ribs are added to the outer side of the upper step body 3, effectively increasing the outer edge height to 13mm, further enhancing the footing rigidity. These structural improvements, combined with the addition of the lifting plate 8, achieve a significant improvement in rigidity at the weakest point where footing is weak.

[0051] The curved section at the front end of the boarding step body 3 not only reduces the Y-axis overhang at the front end of the boarding step body 3, improving structural rigidity, but also avoids operational space in this area, solving many problems related to welding, painting, and final assembly processes: First, it increases the welding space between the B-pillar and the middle floor edge beam assembly, solving the problem of inaccessibility for welding torches. Second, the increased space solves the problem of inaccessibility for painting and applying adhesive to the inner cavity of the slide rail box. Third, the increased space improves the ease of operation when assembling the guide rail steel strip.

[0052] Example 2

[0053] An automobile is provided with a vehicle body side sliding door boarding step reinforcement structure as described in Embodiment 1. Since the structure of the boarding step body in Embodiment 1 is improved, the automobile with the vehicle body side sliding door boarding step reinforcement structure also has the effect of Embodiment 1.

[0054] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A reinforcing structure for the entry step of a vehicle's side sliding door, characterized in that, The device includes a sliding door threshold, an upper vehicle step body welded to the outside of the sliding door threshold, and a guide rail box formed by spot welding the upper vehicle step body and the lower hinge roller load-bearing sliding support plate. The outer side of the guide rail box is open to form a rectangular hollow cavity. The lower hinge roller guide rail is fixed to the bottom surface of the upper vehicle step body in the cavity. The front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail is a section that bends inwards towards the vehicle. The front end of the upper vehicle step body is set as an arc section corresponding to the position of the inward bending section to reduce the Y-direction suspension. The arc section follows the shape of the inward bending section. The upper surface of the upper vehicle step body has an upward protrusion to form a reinforcing rib structure.

2. The vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower hinge roller guide rail includes a continuous straight section, a curved section towards the inside of the vehicle, and an angled straight section towards the inside of the vehicle from back to front; the curved section towards the inside of the vehicle and the angled straight section towards the inside of the vehicle are located at the front end of the lower hinge roller guide rail.

3. The vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The arc-shaped section at the front end of the vehicle step body is positioned above the section that curves inward toward the vehicle and the straight section that forms an angle inward toward the vehicle.

4. The vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front and rear ends of the guide rail box are spot-welded to the front floor, rear crossbeam, and rear floor assembly, respectively.

5. The vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reinforcing rib structure is provided along the outer edge of the upper step body.

6. The vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The outer edge of the upper step body is provided with a downward flange, and the flange is integrally formed with the outer edge of the reinforcing rib.

7. The vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a lifting plate, one end of which is connected to the rear crossbeam of the front floor, and the other end is connected to the front end of the arc-shaped section.

8. The vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lifting plate is arranged in a Z-shape. The top end is fixedly connected to the flange of the front floor and the rear crossbeam by a fastener, and the bottom end is connected to the fixing hole of the front section of the arc segment by a fastener.

9. A vehicle body side sliding door entry step reinforcement structure according to claim 8, characterized in that, A guide rail mounting reinforcement plate is provided between the arc-shaped segment and the lifting plate.

10. A car, characterized in that, The automobile is equipped with a reinforced step structure for the sliding door on the side of the vehicle body as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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